Aluminum and stainless steel shafts and/or tubes ranging from 1-3½ inches in diameter, and 29-169 inches in length, are often heat treated which typically warps the tube in one or more planes. Deformation of the tubes can range in form from a simple bow along the tube length, to a complex spiral of the tube length. The span of a deformation can range from 4 inches of the overall tube length, to the entire length of the tube. Multiple deformations can occur in each tube.
Corrections to the tube deformations or “run out” are currently made manually with a dial indicator, a hand press, and two supporting fixtures for the tube which are moved along the tube length as needed. Corrections are made by profiling the tube length and determining where corrections are needed, and then strategically positioning the tube on the supporting fixtures where the ram of the hand press can be used to deflect the tube to decrease the tube run out and straighten the tube profile. The operator of the hand press positions the ram of the press at the tube high point and then extends the ram a distance to deflect the tube and correct the measured run out of the tube high point by anticipating the spring back of the tube after the force of the ram is removed. An acceptable run out is 5/1000 of an inch over the entire length of the tube. This manual process of correcting tube deformations is labor intensive and requires experienced operators to straighten tubes. This process is a major bottleneck in the aerospace industry manufacturing tubes used for drive shafts and actuator rods.